Vegas, Baby!
by willynilly23
Summary: As promised here is the continuation of the chapter "Fabrication" from my collection Bits and Pieces. I had intended this to be more of an actiony story than it is turning out to be...welll more CIA action that is. I am having a hard time keeping Annie and Auggie clothed though, those 2 have minds of their own. There is some actual plot here too though. The End!
1. Chapter 1

Vegas Part 1: Fabrication

"Annie, remember the first time I sent you to Paris?" Joan asked off-handedly.

"Yes," Annie answered cautiously as she eyed the folders in Joan's hands.

"Or the time I sent you both out in the field together?" that memory not quite as sweet for Annie as it ended with Auggie proposing to Parker.

"What's up Joan?" Auggie asked curiously.

"Oh I am just going to say it….I am sending you both on a mission…to Las Vegas," she thrust the folders towards them.

"What?" Annie laughed as she took the folder and quickly realized it was Auggie's

She traded the braille docs for her own and scanned the mission quickly.

"I need some intelligence gathered, the mission requires some Russian language skills and some high tech gadgetry, we have a good cover in place for a couple. I am not leveraging your feelings for one another, but you certainly played married fine before you were whatever you are now," Joan waved dismissively in the general direction of her agents who stood even closer to one another these days.

Auggie was running his fingers over the report and frowning.

"These are some seriously bad dudes, what are they doing in Vegas?"

"What does anyone do in Vegas, partying, drinking gambling, wasting the spoils of war, literally," Joan sighed.

"This is fairly dangerous," Annie noted.

"Not if your covers hold. We simply need you to get close enough to each of them to slip them the compound. Alcohol flows pretty readily in Vegas, it will work. Get down to Fabrication, we want you as a well-documented Manhattan power couple, hope you are feeling highly photogenic today," Joan dismissed them.

"Chechen rebels living it up in Vegas, sounds like the plot of a Bruce Willis movie," Annie snorted as they made their way down to Fabrication.

"Hello Mr. & Mrs., let's get some wedding shots shall we?" Marcus from Fab had a veil in his hand when he greeted Annie and Auggie in the photo lab.

While Annie and Auggie were not hiding their relationship they also were not flaunting it. Those that knew them knew about it and the rest of the agency didn't have reason to be in the loop. Spies were private for a reason. So Marcus was probably thrown for a loop when Annie grabbed Auggie's wardrobe for the shoot and wheeled it into her dressing room. There was a lot to get done and they would move faster together.

It took hours to get all the photos done, wedding, vacations, company profile shots, everything that would be needed to create websites, Facebook pages and return decent results on a Google search.

The last batch was "beach" photos with a Hawaiian green screen.

"I need a different bathing suit," Annie noted her voice dropping low.

"What's wrong?" Auggie reached for her shoulder and found bare skin; he followed it to a string tied around her neck.

"My um, my scars are visible," she tried to shake off the dread.

"OK," Auggie just squeezed her shoulder and went to get a runner to find another suit.

"Sorry, just would be hard to explain how a socialite from New York had 2 gunshot wounds center mass," Annie took the beach wrap that went with the bikini and covered herself as they waited.

"Every part of you is perfect, you know that right?" he leaned to kiss her as the intern knocked on the door.

Annie thanked the young woman who smiled at her sadly. She changed quickly and Auggie returned to his investigation of her outfit.

"This feels sufficiently skimpy for vacationing with me," he nodded his approval and she laughed.

Their travel docs were ready when they made it back upstairs.

"Marvin? My name is Marvin?" Auggie snorted after Barber gave him the paperwork.

"I'm Annette, did we fall into 1950 somehow?"

"Annette works, I can still call you Annie, I won't make any mistakes when we…ooof" Auggie grinned as Annie whacked him in the stomach.

"Marvin and Annette Williams live on the Upper East Side. Marvin you own and operate Williams Global Imports and you are about to go Public, congratulations," Barber chuckled.

"The real money in the family belongs to Annette though, only daughter of Randolph Jennings a wealthy mining magnet from Andorra…"

"There are like 12 people in Andorra won't that cover get blown pretty fast," Annie argued.

"Trust Fabrication, you are covered. You just have to go to Vegas and pretend to be rich and in love, man this job sucks some times," Barber sighed.

"I suppose if I get the girl and the money I can live with the name Marvin for a few days," Auggie shrugged and slid the docs in his bag.

The End


	2. Chapter 2

Vegas Part 2: Logistics

Annie and Auggie reviewed the documents, thanked the S&T guys for their work and headed to the final briefing. Joan, Stu and Barber were already there.

"Nice shots Auggie," Joan commented as a company portrait of Marvin Williams filled the wall of the briefing room.

"I'll have to take your word for it," he grinned.

"Fabrication has completed the website and Stu has created enough faux traffic for the past 3 years to make it legit. We also have Linked In and Facebook profiles for both of you," Joan noted as she skipped ahead to a Facebook page for Annette Williams, complete with the vacation photo of her looking adoringly at Auggie with a fake Hawaii in the background.

"That looks very real, we need to go to Hawaii," Annie noted.

"The photos came out great," Joan agreed and moved through Annette's Facebook page to find the wedding shots.

"You were married 4 years ago on June 21st in Long Island, Crestwood Country Club," Joan flipped through some stock shots of Crestwood and a random crowd of people clearly at a wedding and then there they were Auggie in a tux and Annie in a wedding dress.

Even when she was putting the dress on she hadn't thought about it, but looking at it now it was striking, how beautiful they looked, how right.

"Wow," it was out of her mouth before she could control herself.

"What?" Auggie asked.

"Nothing, umm, Marcus got some good shots," and she was right there were posed photos and then Marcus had encouraged them to just be casual.

As Joan moved through the photos there was one of Annie laughing as Auggie smiled down at her, it was the most open and honest fabrication photo Joan had ever seen.

"Now we expect that you will be noticed rather quickly. We have you in the most expensive suite at the Bellagio and already have a spot in the highest stakes public poker room for you tomorrow night. These guys are hitting the high rollers pretty quickly, inviting them into a private game that happens every Wednesday night. We hope you will impress them enough tomorrow night to make next Wednesday's game, but we are committed to keeping you in play longer if necessary," Joan highlighted the file Annie had already read.

"We want you in the Wednesday game because it appears to be the only time the whole team is together, you can get the compound into a bottle of vodka and it will be the most efficient way to distribute it."

"Once in their bloodstream, the compound will adhere to their DNA and give us real time bio feedback and tracking. We will be able to identify which Chechen we are following when based on the DNA," Barber explained as Joan put up a slide of the chemical compound.

"It is very likely that we will have to drink the vodka, Russians don't take kindly to refusing a toast," Annie pointed out.

"The compound is completely harmless and trust me we have no interest in tailing you two once you are home, you're a boring old committed couple now," Stu clarified and Annie smiled.

"Speaking of the compound, where is it?" Annie asked.

"It is right here," Joan presented Annie with a large jewelry box.

Annie opened the top and gasped. Inside were a diamond encrusted necklace with a huge emerald pendant and a matching bracelet with a large platinum heart charm.

"Auggie you will store this in the hotel vault upon check in and present it to Annie at a very public meal before the Wednesday night game. The compound is in the heart," Joan pointed to a latch on the side that opened the heart like a locket.

"They will watch you for days before inviting you anywhere, likely bug your room, do not drop your cover at any point, even in the shower. The fact that you are already intimate is the key to this mission, act like a married couple on vacation," Joan blushed a little bit at her implication.

"Got it Joan," Auggie put her out of her misery.

"You will both carry an encrypted phone under your clothes to be used only in emergency. When you are not wearing clothes the phones should be placed in Auggie's locked brief case. A business man of Marvin's stature would legitimately have a locked brief case, it should not arise suspicion. If the phones are turned on without the proper codes they will ring through to a fake line answered as Williams Global," Barber outlined.

"Your bags are already packed, there is a private plane at the airfield and you should both change as Marvin and Annette wouldn't be caught dead in those outfits," Joan smirked.

"Got it boss," Auggie stood and Annie followed him out of the room.

Sure enough there were two garment bags in Auggie's office and they headed off to the locker room to freshen up and change. The Agency left nothing to chance, not only was there a Prada wrap dress in Annie's garment bag, but La Perla undergarments that Annie couldn't afford if she gave up groceries for 6 months.

"Nice clothes really are nice," Auggie commented as they met back in the office.

"That was eloquent," Annie smiled.

"I can't even see it and I am pretty sure this is the nicest shirt I have ever worn," he mentioned as he tugged on the cuff.

Annie looked him up and down and had a hard time forming coherent thoughts. He had on a pair of jeans that were probably as expensive as his rent and fit him so well she had to take a deep breath. The shirt, as he assessed, was gorgeous gun metal gray that looked practically liquid and her fingers itched to touch it. His shoes were soft Italian leather.

"Did you get new underwear?" Annie asked quietly.

"Yes, do you always get new underwear for your missions?" he replied.

"Never, this is going to be quite the Op," she gave in and ran her hand up the front of his shirt.

"I think we should start practicing our cover," he smiled as he reached out and felt the incredibly soft material of her dress.

The tactile sensation of the soft material reminded Auggie of the night they kissed the first time and emboldened by that memory he leaned down to kiss her right in the middle of tech ops. Annie returned the kiss, as she had that night months ago, her hands sliding around his shoulders to pull him closer.

"We're going to rock this mission," she smiled against his lips.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Vegas Part 3: Positioning

The flight was smooth and Annie and Auggie brainstormed their approach.

"We have to win enough to show we are decent players, but also be willing to lose big," Auggie pointed out.

"I am a decent poker player and I can certainly lose with dignity," Annie smiled.

"You're going to have to be our player, a blind poker player is even funnier than a blind CIA Agent," Auggie grinned.

"I can handle it, you'll have to be my good luck charm," Annie squeezed his forearm on the table between them.

"Gladly. Are you OK with the idea that we may be surveiled in rather intimate settings?" Auggie asked sincerely although a little late as they were almost there.

"Yes, I was thinking it over seriously during the briefing today. I will convince myself it is only audio, which it may be, and get through it. It is a very simple cover to play, loving you – making love to you, is so organic to who I am now, I will put aside the icky thoughts of some Chechen getting off on it to complete the mission."

"Besides, it won't be us it'll be Marvin and Annette. I wonder if they're into anything kinky," Annie chuckled and got up to get a snack from the galley.

The pilot announced their approach into Las Vegas as Annie finished the last of the cheese and grapes and cleaned up their mess. She and Auggie moved from the table to two more comfortable seats where they fastened their seat belts and twined their fingers together for landing.

Once safely on the ground, the pilot came back to the cabin.

"Once this door opens, the mission is live. Good luck," he turned the handle and pushed the door open as a grounds crew member wheeled the staircase over.

Another company man was waiting with the limo and he took the bags from the crew and stowed them. Auggie allowed Annie to slide into the limo first and joined her as the driver closed the door behind him. Annie tucked her arm into Auggie's and watched through her Gucci sunglasses as the desert rolled by.

Check-in went smoothly and Annie ducked off to get some water while Auggie spoke with the manager about use of the hotel vault to stash Annette's "surprise". The manager was more than accommodating considering the Williams were spending $30,000 a night for their room.

"This is lovely," Annie said sincerely as the bellman brought their bags in and their concierge showed them around the room.

They had their own concierge, $30,000 a night bought a lot of luxury and a lot of space. The tour took nearly 30 minutes, Annie thinking that they could put her guest house and Auggie's apartment in here and still have room left over for storage. There were 3 bathrooms, she might never want to leave.

"Honey, the layout is very open," Annie mentioned to Auggie who was holding her elbow and not using his cane at the moment, "some stairs, but you'll have it mastered in no time."

"If there is anything I can do to be of assistance," Jack the concierge offered.

"Thank you Jack, we should be very comfortable here," Annie smiled.

She and Auggie had decided on the flight over that they were going to be nice rich people. They toyed with the idea of playing it snooty, but it wasn't their character and since playing in love was so natural they might as well try to stay as true to Annie and Auggie as they could without being too wide-eyed at the extravagance of it all.

"I shall leave you to rest then after your journey. Your dinner reservation is confirmed for 9:00 pm, let me know if you need anything before then," and with that he was gone and Annie and Auggie were alone in the room.

Annie led Auggie to the bedroom and began unpacking. She tried not to betray her cover as she unpacked the exquisite clothes. Auggie kicked off his shoes and tucked them under the bed before exploring a little more with his cane in hand.

Annie heard the tapping change when he hit the master bathroom.

"This is huge," his voice echoed slightly.

"Mmmmhmm, with both a huge tub and what appears to be a shower large enough for an entire football team," she wrapped her arms around his middle.

"I am now picturing the Giants showering together, thanks honey," he frowned and Annie was impressed he made himself a Giants fan.

"We could both be showering and never bump into each other," she commented as she truly took in the dimensions of the shower-room.

"Now what fun would that be? If I am in the shower with you I want to bump into you repeatedly," he leered and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Are you going to help me unpack or are you just going to plan all the places you plan to bump into me in this suite?'

"I am hurt, I thought you liked it when I bumped into you," he found her in the giant closet hanging up something silky.

"I really do," she agreed and granted him a kiss to assure him.

"We have a couple of hours until dinner," he pointed out as he masterfully unwrapped her wrap dress.

She untangled her arms from around his neck long enough to let the dress slip off completely. His hands found their way along the lace edges of her luxury lingerie.

"Nice," he hummed as he slipped the silk strap off her shoulder.

While enjoying the ministrations of Auggie's lips and tongue Annie slipped her encrypted phone from its spot in her stocking and dropped to her knees to finagle Auggie's out of his sock as well. His brief case was right there so she placed them inside causally and dropped the lid closed, hopefully the closet will not have a camera in it.

"I don't think the first place we should have sex in this lovely room should be the closet honey," Annie tried to get his attention long enough to relocate.

"We're in a closet," his sense coming back to him.

"I can understand your confusion it is as big as most people's bedroom," she chuckled and dragged him to the bed.

Although they had not revealed themselves to the Chechens yet there was still a chance the suite was constantly bugged in pursuit of potential marks for their big game. Annie had already planned to use terms of endearment and when in doubt throw God in there in bed, she couldn't imagine herself calling Auggie Marvin while they were naked.

It turned out not to be too hard as he quickly had her calling on God.

"That was fun," Annie laughed, breathless as she rolled onto her back, keeping one hand entwined with Auggie's.

"Vacation is off to an amazing start," he smiled, breathless himself.

Annie had imagined that being on a mission would boost Auggie's adrenaline, but if the past 30 minutes were any indication this was going to be even more fun than she imagined. Considering Annie had no complaints when it came to sleeping with Auggie she was in for quite a treat.

"Sure, I can't talk you in to room service tonight," he began with their clasped hands and kissed his way along her arm until he reached her neck where he scraped his teeth just enough to make her shiver under him.

"Jack made us a reservation and so far all we've explored of the hotel is the bed," Annie stuttered a little when his tongue followed his teeth.

She knew he was just teasing her and he knew they had to make a public appearance, but he was playing his cover exceptionally well and she was very close to putting the Do Not Disturb sign on the door and starting the mission tomorrow.

"Don't forget the closet, we explored the closet too," he smiled against her skin.

"We could explore the shower a little bit more, I think we both need one now," she offered a compromise and crawled over him to head for the bathroom.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

Vegas Part 4: Flaunting the Cover

The shower proved to be as enjoyable as Annie anticipated. It was going to be hard to go back to bumping her elbow on the wall of Auggie's tiny stall at home. Annie turned some music on while they dressed for dinner. She helped Auggie with the cuffs of his shirt and he zipped the back of her dress, then unzipped until she chided him into zipping it back up.

She had blown out her hair and flat ironed it sleek, combined with the black dress and the devastatingly handsome man on her arm she was hoping they would turn a few heads.

"I am remarkably hungry," she announced as Auggie slid his jacket over his shoulders, his shirt pulling across his chest and making her heart speed up just the slightest bit.

"We did exert ourselves a little bit, must have worked up an appetite," he murmured against her ear, his lips hitting the silkiness of her hair as his hands found the silkiness of her dress and bare arms.

"You look really good," her voice was a little horse.

"You feel really good," his fingers trailed over her arm and her hip as he brushed his cheek against her hair.

"Let's go, before I change my mind about the room service option," Annie whispered.

The hotel was bustling with people, but Auggie abandoned his cane for Annie's lead. They were early for the reservation on purpose as Annie wanted to sit at the bar and people watch for a bit. There were 2 stools available and Auggie helped Annie slide onto one before taking the other.

Auggie ordered Scotch and Annie vodka – on purpose and they sipped their drinks.

"I can't wait to sit by the pool tomorrow with a pile of magazines and a bottle of sunscreen," she made small talk as she observed.

"I will be happy to assist with the latter," he smiled as he performed his own observations by trying to pick up snippets of other conversations.

Annie shifted towards him and crossed her legs, he could hear the slide of the dress and he reached out to put a hand on her knee finding it bare.

"Are you trying to kill me with this dress?" he asked with the squinty look of concentration he gets when he is trying not to be too distracted.

"Killing you is not the end game with this dress, trust me," she slid his hand just the slightest bit further up her leg so he could truly imagine its dimensions.

"Mr. & Mrs. Williams, your table is ready," the hostess approached.

They stood and started to follow when a man behind them spoke.

"Excuse me, Miss," his voice was deep and definitely Russian.

"Yes," Annie turned back.

"Your wrap," the man proffered the silver wrap Annie had placed on the bar behind her.

"Oh thank you, one vodka and I am leaving things behind," she smiled and took the garment not missing the way the man looked her up and down.

"Vodka will do that," he smiled and turned back to the bar.

Their table was remote, but Annie took the seat that faced towards the bar and she could see the Russian talking to another man and working up quite a bar bill. She committed their faces to memory and watched as they both headed towards the casino.

Dinner was exceptionally delicious; Annie allowed herself a couple little delicacies like mashed potatoes and a dessert that made her toes curl in her very expensive shoes. She and Auggie chatted about her sister (Annette had one too!) and his recent trip to London (documented on his Facebook page) for work.

As she sipped the end of her wine she slipped her foot out of her shoe and maneuvered her toes under the cuff of Auggie's pant leg. She saw the change on his face and the instant desire flash in the quirk of his lips.

The waiter brought the bill and Auggie slipped the Platinum Amex Joan had handed over grudgingly into the folder. He tipped generously, in case the staff talked, and buttoned his jacket as he stood and offered Annie his hand.

"You ready sweetheart?"

"I am. Could we take a quick tour of the casino? I would love to take a peek and I need to walk off a few hundred calories," she squeezed his hand and draped her wrap over her shoulder.

Annie tucked herself into Auggie's side, leading him, but letting him lead too and they headed towards the noise of the casino. They stood off to the side just inside the main entrance while Annie scanned the room. Sure enough she saw her helpful Russian and his buddy from the bar at a poker table. She had no way of knowing if he was one of the team they were in pursuit of, but it was a good bet.

Annie bought herself $100 worth of chips and put them all on 1 number on a roulette table.

"Sure you don't want to split that up pretty lady?" the gentleman running the wheel asked.

"No, it's our wedding date, I think it is a pretty solid bet," she smiled.

The other people at the wheel smiled and probably thought she was a sap, but a few minutes later the ball plinked gently into slot 21 and Annie had made $3500. Auggie squeezed her hip and shook his head.

"She is very lucky," he shrugged.

"I certainly am," she kissed him and scooped up her chips.

"He noticed you," Auggie whispered against her ear.

She just nodded slightly, but he could feel it. Content with their initial appearance in public and noticing that it was now close to midnight Annie guided Auggie back out to the lobby. She caught the reflection of her Russian in one of the mirrors in the lobby, he was definitely watching them.

When they entered the room Annie set the Do Not Disturb sign and noticed they had left the stereo on, soft music filled the room. She also noticed that the bed, which they had left in disarray, was remade and turned down, which made her blush a little. She grabbed a bottle of water and joined Auggie who was standing in front of the panoramic view they had of Las Vegas.

"It is beautiful," she described the lights below.

"You're beautiful," he said and she realized he wasn't even facing out the window any more but had turned and was trying very hard to divine an image of her.

She capped the water and put it on a side table and slid off her high heels. In her bare feet she approached and took his hand in hers and slid her other hand to his shoulder. He caught on and placed his free hand at her waist, pulling her close and swaying slowly to the music.

"Life is so busy, I am so glad we have this vacation to remember how lucky we are," he said completely in cover but as honest for Auggie as it was for Marvin.

"I love you so much," Annie said sincerely.

TBC….


	5. Chapter 5

Vegas Part 5: Biding Their Time

Nikolai Astrovski sipped his ice cold vodka as he listened to the report of his recruiters.

"Trust me, these 2 are loaded Nikki. We get them in a game we can take them for more than enough to finance the payload you want."

"Are they clean? We don't need to get mixed up with undesirables," he laughed.

"Olga has already bugged their room. I sent her up there to turn down the room after I saw them at dinner, we have eyes and ears on them. I don't think we will be able to seduce one of them away like the last couple we tried, but they are dropping $30K a night on that suite and the front desk has them staying for a while, they obviously have the cash. And if they are as devoted as they seem we could always use that if things get messy. The guy's blind, should be easy enough to exploit if the situation goes bad," Gregor gave his report.

"OK, watch them and if they continue to impress you invite them for Wednesday night. Don't be too obvious though, keep it subtle."

***555***

Auggie woke up alone, at least he thought he was alone but the bed was so big Annie could have just rolled really far away. As his other senses came to he could smell coffee and heard a rhythmic whirring noise. He slipped on his boxers and wandered out into the giant suite.

He found the coffee and poured himself a cup. He also found his cane so he could explore in search of Annie. He headed towards the noise and sure enough there she was.

"Morning," she was slightly winded and Auggie assumed the sound was a treadmill.

"We have our own gym," he shook his head, he knew that from the tour, but it hadn't really sunk in.

"I have run 10 miles while you were snoring," she teased.

"I do not snore," he defended.

"Vacation is making you soft," she countered.

"Isn't that the point of vacation," he chuckled and headed towards the food he smelled.

After breakfast and another long hot shared shower, Annie was putting on her bathing suit and filling a beach bag with all the poolside accoutrements she could possibly need. In contrast to Annie's vacation casual look, Auggie came out of the bathroom in a 3 piece suit.

"I can't believe you scheduled a meeting during our vacation," she pouted.

"This guy is only in the states today, if I don't get the contract to him in person I lose my window and it is worth 8 figures darling, worth losing a little pool time over," he kissed her and smiled against her soft cheek.

"OK, but we have an earlier dinner tonight as I have a seat at that poker game."

"Oh I know, I'll be back in time for lunch," he promised with one final kiss before he unfolded his cane and set out.

Annie took her bag and headed to the pool a few minutes later. She set up under an umbrella with a good vantage point of the whole pool area. Auggie meanwhile was greeted by the company man and the secure limo from the day before.

Once he was in the car he picked up the phone in the back and was patched through to Langley immediately.

"Hey boss, how's Vegas?" Barber answered.

"So far so good, what's the word there?"

"You are definitely being surveiled, we were able to piggy back on the signal for audio, let Annie know we couldn't actually see her in the shower, but there is video in the room too from the traffic we are intercepting," Barber reported.

"Not sure I am going to tell her that, she wants to think they are only listening and she really does not want to know you are listening," Auggie scoffed.

"We are just making sure you are both safe, we try not to pay too much attention to what we hear," Barber did sound slightly uncomfortable with the idea of listening in to their more intimate moments.

"We understand Eric. Is there anything new since we left?"

"Just some chatter that the group is interested in a weapons payload, top dollar and they need cash money to pay for it. They are tasked with getting as much liquid capital as they can by Friday, so we imagine you will get approached for the Wednesday game, high stakes my friend."

"We're ready, Annie won $3500 on one spin of the roulette wheel last night and everyone in the room noticed her," Auggie mentioned.

"Evidently, as the audio went live around 11:00 pm Mountain time. It is likely they have someone on the inside, housekeeping, even your concierge could work for them so don't let that cover slip," Barber warned.

"Cover is rock solid," Auggie confirmed.

"Cool. So what is a $30,000 hotel room like?" Barber was truly curious.

"I am not the best judge of interior design, but it has a shower bigger than our office," and with that Auggie ended the call.

The driver drove Auggie around and then parked in the parking lot of a corporate building just outside of downtown, Auggie entered the building and made small talk with the receptionist. A phony meeting had been set up just in case anyone was watching. The receptionist escorted Auggie to an office with a name plate and no one on the other side. Auggie listened to the news on his phone's document reader for an hour. Maintaining a cover wasn't always glamorous and sexy.

Annie definitely scored the better deal that morning as she lounged under the umbrella reading celebrity gossip and sipping mimosas. She took a swim when it got too hot and sent phony texts to phony friends in New York, certain Barber and Stu would get a kick out of them.

Sure enough, just before 1:00 she got a text from "Marvin".

"I don't see you, can you see me?" the man was hysterical.

Annie scanned the pool area and sure enough there was her 'husband' changed out of his suit into a bathing suit and tee shirt. She hopped up from her seat, wrapped herself in the gauzy cover-up and scooted across the hot pavement barefoot.

"Hey handsome, looking for anyone in particular?" she brushed her bare arm against his and he took her elbow.

"Yes, but don't tell my wife," he whispered against her ear.

"Married eh? She is a very lucky lady," Annie teased as she maneuvered him around the crowded pool area and over to her spot.

When they were out of the fray Auggie greeted her more appropriately with a kiss just on the verge of being too much for public.

"Mmmmm, absence does make the heart grow fonder. How was your meeting?" she asked casually as she helped him assess the layout of their lounge chairs and the small table that held her drink.

"All good, deal went as expected," he smiled.

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

Vegas Part 6: Playing the Mark

The rest of the day was uneventful; Annie suspected the Russians slept during the day with their late night poker games going most nights. They sat by the pool a little longer, had lunch and returned to the room for a little nap in preparation for their own night out. The combination of sun and champagne had done Annie in and she slept peacefully while Auggie dozed on and off.

Dinner was slightly more casual than the night before and Annie had trouble focusing on her food as she started to think ahead to the poker game. She hoped they were right about this and that some of the team would be present, scoping them out as marks. Auggie hadn't said anything out loud, but the way he seemed to shield her body in the shower this evening made her suspect he had learned they were already under surveillance. It also made her love him a little bit more.

"How's your salmon?" Auggie asked after several minutes of silence.

"Good thanks," she smiled at him grateful that he roused her from her reverie.

"We keep eating like this and I might have to use that treadmill we have in the room," Auggie grinned.

"Yes, it is a far cry from the yogurt I usually eat while going through the mail at night," Annie laughed and put her free hand on his knee which was very close in the banquet they were seated in.

They lingered over the end of their meal and their wine. Annie noticed one of the guys from the bar last night watching from two tables away. She leaned over and kissed Auggie, tapping a message on his knee in Morse Code. She smiled and laughed, tossing her hair a little bit.

Auggie told her bad jokes as they wandered in and out of the lobby shops waiting for the poker game to start. Annie rolled her eyes, but secretly loved them all because Auggie told them so earnestly and she knew he was just trying to keep her mind clear.

Finally the time came and they made their way to the private game room, their names were on the list as expected and Annie described the room to Auggie to help orient him. There were 3 poker tables and a private bar with a very attractive bartender and waitress on staff.

"Mrs. Williams, we are so excited to have you with us tonight," the concierge exclaimed as he seated her at one of the tables, offering Auggie a chair as well. Auggie declined though and indicated he would be at the bar.

"Good luck darling," he kissed her cheek and made his way to the bar where he hoped to strike up a conversation with a Russian.

Annie played well and had fun, she won her first hand and earned the respect of the men at the table and then proceeded to drop a couple, going in pretty big and losing.

Auggie sipped his scotch at the bar and sure enough a man sidled up beside him.

"That beautiful woman belong to you?" he asked his Russian accent obvious.

"I am not sure she would appreciate it worded like that, but yes, that is my wife," Auggie smiled to assure the fellow he was not offended.

"She is stunning."

"So I have been told. I'm Marvin Williams," Auggie stuck out his hand.

"I am Gregor Kaminski, nice to meet you Marvin."

Over the next hour Auggie made small talk with the Russian, discussing the finer points of the global import business and Annie won the hearts of her fellow players as she won and lost large sums of money with humor and grace. At the end of her last round she was down $200,000 but had won almost half a million at one point. Finally, she thanked the dealer and the other players and had herself dealt out of the next round.

She brushed her hand against the back of Auggie's.

"I am done for tonight Love," she smiled and kissed his cheek.

"There was both cheering and moaning coming from that direction, how'd you do?"

"Not as bad as Monte Carlo, but I still need a chance to win back some of my losses, perhaps another night, I am a little tired," she leaned into his arms.

"Gregor, this is my wife Annette. Honey, Gregor and I have been chatting about the company," Auggie made the introductions.

"So nice to meet you, I hope my husband didn't bore you too much, he is supposed to be on vacation," Annie chided him with a poke to the ribs.

"Oh no, he was charming company and Mrs. Williams, I hope you get a chance to win back your losses before you leave Las Vegas," the Russian stood and patted Auggie on the shoulder and walked away.

"Ready for bed?" Auggie murmured warm against her ear.

"I most certainly am," she slid her hand down his back.

Auggie went to pay the bar bill, but the bartender told him it was covered. Auggie left a generous tip and Annie lead him out of the room.

"That was so fun," Annie declared as they entered the suite.

"It sure was," Auggie caught her hand in his and pulled her close.

She could feel his body almost vibrating and radiating warmth. She was shaky with the adrenaline of winning and losing huge sums of money and she knew Auggie was in his element gathering intel on the Russian. He was tugging her towards what he thought was the bedroom as she pulled him towards the nearest comfortable surface, the couch. Annie won and managed to get his shirt off as she pulled him down on top of her on the large sofa in the main room.

"You taste like Scotch," she mentioned as she plunged her tongue even deeper into his mouth.

"You smell so good," he kissed his way down the neckline of her dress.

"Oh no, sorry," a squeak from the doorway.

Annie sat up dislodging Auggie and adjusted her dress. There in the door were two members of the housekeeping staff, ready for turndown service.

"So sorry, we thought you were still out," the dark haired one said with the slightest Russian accent.

"No problem, but really we are good," Annie mentioned flustered as Auggie reached across her to try to find his shirt.

"OK, if you find you need anything please just call down to housekeeping, good night," the two women left as quickly as they arrived.

"We should probably move this to the bedroom," he smiled and pulled her up from the couch.

***555***

"I know that guy," the blonde housekeeper mentioned as she and Olga retreated to the housekeeping office.

"Mr. Williams?"

"His name isn't Williams," the blonde countered.

"He is Marvin Williams, owns some big company in New York."

"Not a lot of hot blind guys with Special Forces tattoos I would imagine, his name is Auggie and when I knew him he lived in DC and worked at the Smithsonian," she shook her head confused.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

Vegas Part 7: Invitations

"You're sure she recognized him?' Gregor asked as Olga fretted.

"The man is blind and has a highly unique military tattoo on his back, the odds of both of those things in 2 different men is pretty rare," Olga was having trouble with her English.

"Williams' company profile said he was blinded in Iraq, the man is a war hero, it is public knowledge," Gregor began booting up his laptop.

"But she said his name wasn't Marvin, it was Auggie or something like that and he lived in DC, not New York. She slept with him, 3 years ago, when she worked at a bar there," Olga reported.

"Three years ago?" Gregor was now concerned.

"Yeah."

"He's been married for 4 years," Gregor pointed to the screen.

"Wouldn't be the first married man to take a waitress home," now Olga was playing Devil's Advocate.

"Have you seen them? They are all over each other, even I blush watching the camera you planted. She must be wrong, it can't be the same man."

"Shouldn't we tell Nikolai?" Olga fretted some more.

"Not yet, the game is still 3 days away. We need this money Olga, the last 2 couples we approached were duds, if we don't get the cash this week we will lose the payload, our mission will fail."

"What if he is a cop?"

"A blind cop, right Olga. If he is lying it is likely just to his wife, you watch those Lifetime movies, husbands have double lives all the time. Although if I was married to that hot thing I wouldn't be wasting my time with waitresses. Leave it with me, don't worry," Gregor kissed her gently as they settled down to sleep.

***555***

The next 2 days passed without event. Annie noticed a few extra sets of eyes on them and was certain their room was bugged to the hilt, but she and Auggie continued in vacation mode. On Tuesday evening Auggie presented Annie with the necklace and bracelet containing the compound at dinner, it garnered some oohs and aahhs from neighboring tables and Annie blushed as she thanked her husband.

"Mr. Williams, I am sorry to interrupt, but there is a phone call for you," the maitre'd appeared at their table.

"Excuse me darling," he smiled and allowed the man to lead him to the phone at the host stand.

As soon as he stepped away Gregor made his move.

"Mrs. Williams, dining alone this evening?" he smiled.

"No, Marvin had to take a call, he has offices all over the globe so who knows who is having a crisis at this time of night," she smiled and sipped her wine, indicating he should take Auggie's seat.

"A woman as lovely as yourself should not be unattended for long," he smiled.

"Thank you for keeping me company."

"The other evening you mentioned hoping for a chance to win your money back, did you manage to succeed yet?" he asked casually.

"No, those high stakes games are awfully hard to get into. I did have a little luck at the craps table though," she winked.

"As luck would have it, I supervise a private poker game, very high stakes, but you seem like a lady who enjoys a little danger. Could I entice you to join us?"

"How _very_ high stakes are we talking?"

"Minimum bet is $100,000, there is no maximum bet, table agrees on the value of non-cash items," his eyes flitted to the jewelry box on the table.

"I did like showing those boys a thing or two the other night. Any other women at the table?" Annie played coy.

"You are the only one I am inviting," he reached for her hand and kissed it.

"I will be there," she smiled.

"Excellent, 10:00 pm – Savoy room on the third floor. I must impress upon you the discretion of this event, all the players are by invite only."

"Of course, my husband can join me though right? I notice you waited for him to leave before asking, but it is his money too," she pouted.

"Of course, Marvin and I got along so well the other night, I would love to talk to him a little bit more."

Gregor noticed Auggie making his way back and stood to take his leave.

"Who was on the phone?" Annie asked truly curious.

"No one, the connection was terrible, might have been one of our overseas offices," Auggie explained and Annie knew it was a set up.

She scooted her chair a little closer to his and leaned in to kiss him, tapping on his knee 'we're in' in Morse Code. He smiled into the kiss.

***555***

Wednesday afternoon Auggie was relaxing poolside and Annie decided to get a manicure. As she lounged in the spa, the blonde housekeeper who had recognized Auggie came in to replenish the towels. Annie realized she had been one of the women to walk in on her and Auggie the other night.

"I am so sorry if we embarrassed you," Annie mentioned as she put her magazine down.

"Oh no, it was nothing," the girl seemed nervous.

"I bet you see lots of things working here," Annie smiled.

"Sure do," the girl agreed shortly.

She went to leave, but stopped and turned back to Annie.

"Your husband was Special Forces in the war?"

"Yes, he was," Annie looked confused.

"I saw his tattoo. I uh, knew a guy once," she shrugged.

"It is a very unique tattoo," Annie was getting a bad feeling about this.

The girl nodded and took the dirty towels with her as she exited. Annie's nails were long dry so she shucked the spa robe and threw on her clothes and headed for the pool.

"Hey Sweetie," she approached.

"How was the spa?" he asked with a grin.

"It was fantastic, but I was wondering if we could take a drive. I've been feeling a little cooped up here," she indicated she needed to make a call to Langley and wanted him to go with her.

"Sure, let me phone the driver," he smiled but she could see a slight twitch in his jaw.

Fifteen minutes later Auggie told the CIA driver to take them to some touristy spot and they drove away from the Bellagio.

"I think you've been made," she whispered.

"Me?"

"One of the housekeepers who walked in on us the other night recognized your tattoo, she was very weird about it just now in the spa. I don't think she suspects you're CIA, I think she thinks you just cheated on me, but if she tells anyone else," Annie closed her eyes and squeezed his hand.

"What was her name?"

"Her name tag said Katie, she's blonde not that you will have any vivid memories of her."

"Don't hit me when I tell you there might have been more than 1 Katie in my past," he bit his lip.

"We need to call in," Annie picked up the secure line.

Barber answered and they relayed what little they knew to him and he agreed Joan needed to be looped in.

"She walked in on us 3 days ago and we still got invited to the game," Auggie reasoned.

"It could be a trap though," Joan argued back.

"Why risk bringing us into the room?" Annie balanced.

"We don't even know that she told anyone for sure," Auggie pointed out.

"OK, we stick to the plan, but you 2 have to be super vigilant, the slightest sign that something is off and you pull the cord," Joan ended the call.

Annie stared out the window.

"You OK?" Auggie slid closer to her on the seat.

"Of course," she let him pull her into his arms.

"Never thought my past would come back to haunt me quite like this," he ventured out on a limb.

"Auggie, I am not naïve to your life before, it is really OK. I just want to make sure that you're safe."

"I'll be fine," he assured her.

TBC….


	8. Chapter 8

Vegas Part 8: Playing the Game

Once back at the hotel and completely back in cover mode Annie and Auggie decided to have room service for dinner before the big game, although truthfully neither was very hungry.

Annie pushed the food around her plate and made inane small talk for the benefit of the listening devices. When it became apparent neither of them really wanted to eat, Annie stood up and brushed her hand along Auggie's. He took her hand in his and let her lead him.

She brought him to the bedroom and began silently undressing him, not trusting her voice to betray her personal emotions and risking their cover further, she simply smiled coyly and seduced her 'husband'. She kissed him long and hard, communicating that he belonged to her now. She wasn't going to be petty and jealous about the past, it was the past and they both had one, but she wanted to make sure he knew she would put up a fight moving forward.

She turned in his arms and felt his hands find the fastenings of her dress with ease, she could also notice how quickly they had gotten to this point, how ready he was for her.

"I want this so bad," Auggie nearly growled into her ear and anyone listening would assume Marvin meant the sex, but Annie knew Auggie meant the relationship.

She turned back to face him, her dress slipping to the floor at her feet.

"Me too," she replied sincerely her hands moving quickly to his belt.

***555***

Meanwhile Olga tried not to watch the monitor in her and Gregor's room, but it was mesmerizing, how in tune these 2 were. She was having such a hard time reconciling the couple before her with the idea that he was sleeping with someone else 3 years ago. Unless they weren't really married 4 years ago. There was too much at stake for any doubt, she had to talk to Nikolai.

***555***

Annie kissed her way along the planes of Auggie's back, her hair tickling along his sides as he recovered.

"We have to get dressed," she mentioned her nails tapping along his shoulder blades.

"Take off your clothes, put on your clothes, so much work, can't we just stay naked," he murmured sounding very sleepy.

"I need to win lots and lots of money and when I do I will let you lock me up here naked for the rest of our stay," she promised with one final kiss to the back of his neck before she crawled over him and left him alone in the bed.

***555***

Annie was curling her hair when Auggie emerged from the bathroom with only a towel on. He could smell the heat from the curling iron.

"Ooooh, curly tonight?"

"Yes, while I have enjoyed the desert air and its effect on my hair, I needed a little texture tonight," she shrugged one bare shoulder from her halter dress.

"Better for getting my fingers tangled," he moved towards her and hit a shoulder instead of her neck.

"Taller too?" he smirked.

"Serious shoes," she smiled knowing what her shoes did to him.

"How serious?"

"I could kill someone with these shoes," and while Annette meant it as a joke, he knew Annie actually could.

"Remind me not to piss you off tonight," he placed a kiss at the nape of her neck and wandered towards their favorite closet to dress.

***555***

"Nikolai, we have to talk," Olga walked in bolder than normal around the scary team leader.

"Olya, we have a big game tonight you know, not the best time to chit chat," he smiled but there was malice in everything he did.

"It is about your big game, I have a concern," she sat down and hoped he would listen.

***555***

Gregor had put aside his fears, if Mrs. Williams could drop another $500,000 tonight and bow out before she won any of it back he would have a solid deposit for the arms dealers.

Sure enough she was there right on time, the man was with her but nothing seemed amiss.

"Mrs. Williams, Mr. Williams," Gregor greeted.

"Please call us Annette and Marvin, if you are planning to take all our money we should be on a first name basis," Annie winked.

"It is our honor to have you. Would you like a drink before you get started?" he indicated the bar.

"Gregor, I think I am going to need more than one, how about you find me your coldest bottle of Kristal and set it up right next to me seat," Annie slipped him a roll of hundred dollar bills.

"That can be easily arranged," he pocketed the money and disappeared.

Auggie was trying to take in the room, it was smoky which dulled his sense of smell and it was starting to get loud as he heard at least a dozen people talking, most of whom had Russian accents. He felt slightly disadvantaged when his other senses were overpowered.

Gregor produced the vodka and an ice bucket and a waitress appeared with a tray with a couple of shot glasses.

"We'll need more than that, I like to share," Annie smiled.

"Of course," the waitress returned the smile, dropped off the 2 shot glasses and returned for more.

Annie poured 2 shots while she waited and handed one to Auggie.

"Gregor what is a good toast for vodka?"

"In Russian we say Na Zdarovya, to your health," he smiled and Annie fumbled over the words she knew as well as her own name as she and Auggie took the first drink from the bottle.

Auggie could hear the tinkle of the tray of glasses coming towards them and turned just at the right moment to bump into the waitress causing a bit of a loud crash and commotion, just enough of a distraction for Annie to get the compound in the now open bottle of vodka. Barber had said they needed about a minute for the compound to work its way through the liquid and the waitress needed that long to get more glasses.

"I am so sorry," Auggie sweet-talked the waitress who blushed at the handsome man.

"No problem," she shook her head.

"I'd like to invite everyone for a toast before we sit down, want my opponents on even footing, if you know what I mean," Annie grinned at Gregor who seemed charmed by her and had everyone gather round.

Shots were poured and everyone drank, officially the mission was done. Annie of course had to play a few hands of poker, so she took her seat and was dealt in to the first hand. Auggie made his way back to the bar, still apologizing to the waitress.

Annie focused on her game and actually won the first round, she looked back at Gregor and he didn't look too happy. She figured she better lose a round or two, the CIA would get the money back when they took down the team.

***555***

Nikolai entered the room, Olga hot on his heels, and made a beeline to Gregor.

"Gregor, poshol samonoi," Nikolai ordered the younger man to go with him.

Through the haze of smoke Auggie could smell a woman's perfume and it wasn't Annie or the waitress from earlier, another woman had come into the room and Auggie was slightly concerned.

"Gregor, why did I just find out about this," Nikolai spat the words at him and he didn't need to clarify, the guilty look on Olga's face told Gregor she had spilled.

"Everything is going according to plan, she is losing now, we'll have half a million soon and they will be out of our hair, they don't suspect a thing," Gregor rationalized.

"You stay right here, I want you to not take your eyes off the woman, I am going to deal with the man. If she doesn't lose we'll kill him, it'll cover two birds with one stone."

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

Vegas Part 9: Uncovered

"Mr. Williams could you come with me for a moment?" a man who was not Gregor took Auggie's arm rather suddenly.

Not wanting to cause an undue scene Auggie left silently, unsure if Annie could see him from her spot or not.

Nikolai shoved Auggie into a room, Auggie stumbled but remained upright.

"What exactly is the problem here?" Auggie remained calm.

The room was cool and there was a hum of electric equipment, computers but more than that a refrigerator or ice machine nearby. Auggie could smell the perfume from earlier but also another female smell, shampoo or lotion that was unique.

"Have a seat," Nikolai indicated a chair not realizing Auggie couldn't spot it as quickly.

Finally Nikolai pushed Auggie roughly into a chair.

"No need to be rough buddy, my wife and I were enjoying the Russian hospitality around here," he maintained his cover.

"Your wife," Nikolai laughed but there was no mirth in it, "she is very lovely, a little dumb, but lovely. It would be a shame if she got hurt, poor dear."

"Why would you hurt my wife?" Auggie played dumb.

"Because Mr. Williams, I believe you are more than meets the eye so to speak. We have reason to believe you are not who you claim to be and in our circles that is very suspicious. Now maybe you are just lying to your wife, maybe it is more, right now all I care about is getting you both out of my hair."

***555***

Gregor watched Annie play poker oblivious to her husband's absence. She bit her lip and chewed a nail and went in big on hands she actually had a chance of winning only to be bested by one of the team members. She was down almost $400,000 when she turned back to find Auggie.

The first time she noticed he was missing she didn't worry too much, he may have gone to the men's room or was having a private drink with one of the Russians, but when he still hadn't appeared after the next hand she started to feel the skin at the back of her neck prickle with nerves.

She had already anteed up for the next hand though so she kept her seat, half a million was her goal to lose to keep their cover and exit gracefully, but Auggie still wasn't back.

***555***

"My man has a gun on your wife as we speak, all I need to do is shout and she is dead, so tell me who you really are."

"My name is Marvin Williams, I am from New York City, I own an import company. My wife Annette and I came to Vegas last Friday for a vacation, which was going quite well until about 10minutes ago," he pretended to look at his watch.

Nikolai punched him for his insolence and Auggie shook it off.

"Well you really are blind, didn't even try to duck, I'll give you that," Nikolai shook out his hand.

Auggie could taste the metallic hint of blood at the corner of his lip, but Nikolai hadn't given the order to shoot Annie yet, he could buy her some time and trusted she would figure her way out of the situation, she had to have noticed he was gone by now.

Auggie was trying to come up with a story convoluted enough to intrigue Nikolai for an extended period of time and just as he was about to launch into a tall tale, Gregor burst into the room.

"She dropped half a mill, boss, we have the down payment we need," the younger man oozed excitement and Auggie tried hard not to grin. If Gregor was here, Annie was safe.

"Where is the woman?" Nikolai demanded.

"She's at the table, determined to win her cash back, but Igor is trying to talk her out of it, he is laying it on thick."

"Get her, bring her here. We need to get rid of them both, too many loose ends on this Gregor, I know your goal was to secure the deposit, but at what cost? We need to eliminate these 2 and now."

Auggie could hear Gregor retreat, but it was just a matter of seconds before he returned.

"She's gone."

***555***

Annie knew nothing good was going on, she lost the last hand and made her excuses and left the room as quickly and quietly as possible. Since she wasn't shot upon leaving she figured she wasn't currently under constant watch. It was Auggie they made any way.

She snuck into a utility hallway and made her way to an electrical closet, she hoped there was enough interference to mask her encrypted phone signal. She slid the bolt on the door and reached for the phone she had worn faithfully under her clothes for 6 days.

"Helvetica, what is your 20?" Barber picked up on the first ring.

"In a secure closet, no one in pursuit at this time, but I believe Auggie is gone. Do you have the signals from the compound? Auggie and I both drank the vodka, can you find him?" she tried not to sound as frantic as she felt.

"Yes, I have you and Auggie on the same floor about 500 feet away, but he is surrounded by other bodies, there is no indication on Auggie's vitals that anything is wrong except the other people are moving and Auggie has been in the same spot," Barber reported.

"So he is either unconscious or tied up, but alive?"

"Yes, he is alive and fairly well, his heart rate has elevated a few times, so I would lean toward tied up and not unconscious."

"Do I have a free path out of here?"

"Free from anyone who consumed the compound Annie, but I cannot see if there are others, you still need to be cautious."

"I need to get to the front desk and get into the vault," Annie replied, but she knew at least 2 or 3 members of the team were not there for the toast, including nikolai, the big boss who very likely was in the room with Auggie.

"Keep me on speed dial until you do and be careful," Barber sighed at the end.

"I'll be fine, you keep an eye on Auggie and if you have to call in back up do it. I don't want to cause a scene, but technically the mission is over, our only goal now is to get out of here, both of us."

"Will do Helvetica, be safe."

Annie slid her shoes off her feet, they were fierce, but they were also loud and hard to run in, then she opened the door, using her mirror to check both ends of the hall, it was completely clear of hostiles and hotel staff. She made her way to a service elevator and took it to the lobby.

***555***

"You take Igor and Pyotor and you find her, now," Nikolai instructed.

"And you," he kicked Auggie in the shin hard, "you get to live for a little while longer. If that ditzy blonde wife of yours reports your absence to the authorities I might need a hostage to get out of here, a blind war hero should make good body armor, no one wants to see you killed on the local news, it would be very sad."

Auggie remained stoic and quiet, his unnerving half smile on his lips. If Nikolai thought he was dealing with a ditzy blonde trophy wife then Annie was fine, they clearly thought he was the danger in the pair and had no idea it was Annie who could take them all down. As long as they underestimated his partner they were both going to be fine.

"I did some research on the tattoo you supposedly have, it sounds like you were in a very special branch of service, one that often covers intelligence operatives," Nikolai hinted.

"Guys in my unit were pretty smart," Auggie shrugged.

"Didn't keep you from getting yourself blown up though, huh? Maybe not so smart after all," the older Russian taunted.

"I've done alright for myself all things considered," he shrugged again.

"Are you CIA?" finally the question was verbalized.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Auggie answered and was rewarded with another teeth chattering blow to the face.

***555***

Annie smiled at the desk clerk and asked to be shown to the vault, she slipped her key card and the special ID they were given for their hotel safety deposit box across the counter.

The young man led her behind the counter and buzzed her through the secure gate. He left her alone with the large safety deposit box that Auggie had procured on their first day. She unpacked the items she needed right away: a change of clothes and shoes, a weapon and a set of comm equipment.

The comm went in her ear and she tested it right away.

"Helvetica to home," she tried and sure enough Barber crackled to life in her ear.

"Loud and clear Helvetica. You have 3 hostiles on your level: Gregor is in the casino to the left of front desk, Igor by the front door of the lobby, Pyotor by the elevator, but there is a lot of clear space."

"Good, I am in different clothes and have put my hair up, I hope I can slip by them and get back to the room where they have Auggie undetected. You'll let me know if they move?"

"Of course, good luck Helvetica," Barber kept his eyes glued to the little dots that represented his 2 agents.

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

Vegas Part 10: Bringing them Down

Annie made her way through the lobby quickly and easily. She gave the desk clerk a flirty smile when she emerged from the vault in significantly different clothes, but again money buys a lot of discretion and he didn't say a thing. Just smiled a "Have a good evening" to her as she stealthily moved away.

The noise of the service elevator was too risky so she found a back staircase that smelled heavily of food, both good and bad and she figured it was both the room service hallway for this side of the hotel and the path to the kitchens and garbage.

She stopped, her back flat against a wall and listened closely, longing for Auggie's ability to focus so acutely on sound. Confident things were quiet, she went one flight up and repeated the process on the 2nd floor landing and again on the third.

"I'm at the third floor," she reported to Barber.

"I have you Helvetica, no known hostiles in the hall in front of you, but there could be staff, so be cautious," he replied.

She cracked the door just a bit and again used her mirror, women made very good spies, to clear both ends of the very long corridor. Her weapon was still concealed, but she looked slightly suspicious.

"All clear," she said for her benefit as well as Barber's.

"Auggie's position hasn't changed," Barber supplied.

***555***

"Mr. Williams you are infuriatingly obtuse, we know you are not who you say you are, we think you are CIA. What we do not know is how much you have told your wife," he said wife in such a malevolent tone that Auggie cringed inwardly while maintaining his obtuse façade.

"And I continue to not have a clue what you are talking about, we are Marvin and Annette Williams from Manhattan, my wife is originally from Andorra. Google us, we are local celebrities," Auggie smirked his left cheek swelling from the couple of pops Nikolai and his henchmen had gotten in.

"We did, lots of pretty pictures, but anyone can take a picture these days. I could stand in front of a screen and pretend I was doing yoga on the Great Wall of China, doesn't mean it ever happened. Or maybe they are real and you have been leading that pretty little lady on for years while you travel back and forth to DC bedding waitresses, poor woman, she has no idea does she?" Nikolai continued to doubt Annie and Auggie just sat quietly and waited for her to arrive.

"I love my wife," Auggie said with complete honesty.

"You certainly do enjoy sleeping with her, I will give you that, but a big spy stud like you probably has enough testosterone to go around. Why don't we ask this other pretty lady, ungag her," Nikolai ordered.

There was a small struggle and some soft female grunting and finally a female voice he did not recognize from earlier.

"Please don't hurt me," she said in soft breathy pants.

"Mr. Williams here says he has been happily married for 4 years," Nikolai sneered.

The woman remained silent, although Auggie could swear he could hear her trembling certain a gun was pointed at her.

"Did you sleep with him?" Nikolai demanded.

"I think so," she nodded.

"And his name wasn't Williams right?"

"Could have been, didn't know his last name," she mumbled.

"You little slut, picking up random men in bars," Nikola chided and Auggie heard him come closer.

"Where did he take you? A Hotel?"

"No, an apartment," she answered honestly.

"So it wasn't a simple business trip to DC, he lived there?" Nikolai pressed.

"I didn't ask for ID, could have been a friend's place," she fought back and Auggie could not understand why she was trying to protect him.

Nikolai slapped her. Auggie was grateful it wasn't a punch, but it still sounded like it hurt and the woman bit back a cry. Luckily Nikolai's phone rang.

"Do you have the woman? Well, where could she have gone? Olga is in the room, she isn't there. I want everyone in this hotel looking for that woman, curly blond hair, tall with her shoes on and a slinky red dress, she should not be too hard to spot," Nikolai messaged out.

"We aren't getting any information out of them, let's put these two on ice," Nikolai ordered and simultaneously two of his henchmen raised their guns and brought them down to knock out Auggie and Katie.

***555***

Annie moved through the halls, ducking behind large metal racks of food at the slightest sound. She hadn't heard from Barber so she assumed she was heading towards Auggie.

"Helvetica you have a hostile approaching from the corridor on your left. Your choice, wait him out and hope he passes by or element of surprise, he is only a few feet away though," Barber informed.

Annie grabbed one of the large empty metal trays from the rack.

"He is just about on you…..now," Barber guided and Annie swung out and took the Russian out with the tray.

She recovered his weapon and dragged his body into a closet, he seemed good and unconscious so she bound his hands and left him.

"That sounded painful," Barber grinned.

"He'll live," Annie replied.

Annie could still hear noise coming from the Savoy room, the poker games continued despite her absence and she could see one of the Russians standing guard outside from her position behind a large potted plant.

"I have a guard dog, need another route."

"OK, to the right of the elevator banks are service stairs, take them up or down a flight and cross the hallway there, there are access points to the other rooms on that side."

Annie did as she was told, keeping her footfalls light. Now taking in the reverse angle she could see the guard still at his post, but there was another corridor with rooms off of it.

"Auggie is on the move, with 2 of the henchmen at least. He is moving further from you, he is travelling at a pretty good pace and his companions' heart rates are up and his is not, which is either his ninja military skills or they have knocked him out. He isn't in distress though," Barber related the info on his screen calmly.

"OK, you keep your eyes on him, I can take care of myself now, I am in a clear path," Annie instructed.

Annie moved down the hall, at the first room she knew was not the gaming room she opened the door cautiously with her weapon drawn. It was empty and dark and there was no lingering scent of people.

At the next door she repeated the process, but this room was lit and there was a combination of stale cigarette smoke, faint perfume and the faintest scent of Auggie's soap or after shave. There was no one in the room though. She stowed her weapon and moved about the room.

She found a tiny bit of blood, nothing that caused great concern. There was an overturned chair and an overflowing ashtray, but otherwise the room looked fine, no signs of a significant struggle.

"I found the room they had him in, how far have they moved him?"

"Not far, same floor, and he is alone now – or at least not with anyone who consumed the compound and this is weird…his body temp has gone down a few degrees," Barber noticed.

"There is a service galley on this floor, full kitchen it must be a refrigerator or freezer they have him stashed in," Annie assumed.

"I think freezer is more likely his temp is dropping pretty fast, you need to find him. Head back to the hallway and keep going right, at the end take a left you should be able to see the units then," Barber advised.

"Will do," Annie replied.

She turned back to the door and just as she was about to reach it, it opened.

"Mrs. Williams, you came back for him after all," Nikolai Astrovski grinned.

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

Vegas Part 11: Search and Rescue

"Oh good, I was hoping to run into somebody. Have you seen my husband?" Annie asked all innocence.

"We thought you made a run for it?" Nikolai sneered.

"I figured he went up to the suite, so I went up there and there is no sign of him. I changed real quick and came back to find him, we had a little vodka, I was afraid he got turned around" she smiled conspiratorially.

"One of my staff went up to your room looking for you Mrs. Williams, you were not up there. Where exactly did you get that cat burglar outfit?"

"I must have just missed your staff person, did you need me for something? I paid all my debts before I left. Half a million is as much as Marvin lets me lose in one night."

Annie made to move past Nikolai just as he reached for his radio to alert the others he had her. Annie kicked the phone from his hand and brought an elbow to his jaw before he could register what was happening. He was bigger than her, but slower and she got in several good blows that had him backing off.

She drew her weapon.

"Well well, not the innocent wife after all, no wonder your man was so calm, he knew you were coming to save him. A little bit emasculating, but effective," Nikolai shrugged.

"And you're a little bit sexist," Annie grinned.

"Helvetica you have to move, Auggie's heart rate is down and his temp is getting dangerous," Barber reported.

"On it, send back up to the room I am in now, they will find the leader of this little gang, tied up. He is one of the ones without the compound, so they should collect him ASAP," Annie replied as she got out the zip ties and bound Nikolai around the leg of a rather heavy table, she knocked him out, just to be safe.

She moved quickly through the halls remembering Barber's instructions from earlier. As expected there was a guy outside what appeared to be a walk-in freezer, he was armed, but there was only one of him. The rest of the room was empty, no staff around this late at night. He was facing the direction of the open doorway, even if she came in weapon first she couldn't trust that he wasn't a quicker shot than she was.

She surveyed the room from her spot, if she could cause a distraction and get a jump on him she would be golden. She saw her chance in the form of a large glass bowl full of lemons on a shelf above a work station. She took aim and fired at an angle certain to shatter the bowl.

The distraction worked, the guard took his eyes off the door at the moment the bowl shattered, lemons toppling in a blur of yellow. Annie moved into the room and had him subdued in seconds.

"What is the code?" she ordered as she assessed the locked freezer.

"I don't speak English," he spat in a thick Russian accent.

"What is the code?" she sneered back in Russian and jammed the gun against his ribs for emphasis.

He gave her the code in Russian and she entered it and heard the hiss of the seal release. Back up arrived just in time and she shoved the fellow towards one of the agents and secured her weapon before heading into the freezer.

Auggie wasn't alone, next to his slumped form was the blonde housekeeper only in the short sleeves of her uniform.

"Katie, wake up," Annie tapped the young woman on the cheek as she unzipped her hoodie and cut the ties binding the woman's arms.

"Auggie, can you hear me?" Annie asked loudly as she attended to Katie.

"Auggie?" she shook his leg and could feel how cold the fabric of his pants was.

Once Katie was unbound Annie slipped the hoodie onto her and zipped it up, hoping her own body heat would radiate on to the woman.

"Little help in here," Annie called and an agent came in to carry Katie out to the warmer room.

"Auggie?" Annie turned her attention to trying to assess him, but quickly the other agent returned and dragged Auggie out as well. Annie was at his side immediately rubbing his arms and legs. Blankets appeared from somewhere and Annie wrapped her body around Auggie's.

She stripped the cold garments from his body so she could rub his skin directly, wrapping her now bare arms around him, her cheek against his cheek. His pulse was slow but steady.

"His temp is coming up Annie, he'll be fine," Barber soothed in her ear.

Sure enough in a matter of minutes Auggie started to mumble.

"Hey there, you OK?" she asked her breath warm against his cold ear.

"Yeah, you?" he replied with a smile.

"All good," she smiled against his neck.

***555***

Annie and Auggie walked into Auggie's apartment nearly a week after leaving. The crew in Las Vegas had been rounded up easily thanks to the tracking of the compound and some of the lesser members turned easily under interrogation. All in all the mission was a huge success and Joan accepted their written report as sufficient debrief until Monday.

"You OK?" Annie noticed Auggie kind of staring off into space.

"Hmmm, yeah just thinking about Katie."

"Excuse me?" Annie tried to keep the shrill out of her voice.

"Not like that," he scoffed.

"Then like how?"

"She tried to protect me, when Nikolai was questioning us, she was vague and didn't say much like she was afraid she would get us in more trouble. I can't imagine her at all, I don't remember her from 3 years ago and she tried to protect me," Auggie shook his head.

"You are pretty unforgettable Mr. Anderson," she slid a hand under his jacket, so happy to find his shirt radiating warmth.

"I guess. I like to think I was so suave and mysterious back then, when really I must have seemed needy and lonely."

"Well you certainly aren't needy and I hope you aren't lonely anymore," she spoke her lips very close to his own.

"Not lonely at all," he smiled and closed the short distance.

"Hungry?" she asked as they passed the kitchen.

"Not for food," he grinned as he pulled her towards the bedroom.

"Oooh sex without surveillance equipment, I almost forget what that is like. I can call you by your name and be as loud as I want," Annie purred.

"Well not too loud, there might not be any mics and cameras in here, but Mrs. Watkins across the hall is awfully nosey," he laughed.

The End

Author's note: Monday you are going to get part 2 of Unexpected which is Chapter 27 of Bits and Pieces. That will only have a couple additional Chapters as I do not want to do a long story about Annie pregnant, but there was significant request for some follow up. After that I am out of requests. A few people mentioned a few others at random, but no real demand for extension….so I will see what comes out of my psyche….


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